Container



Patented Aug. 12, 1941 CONTAINER.

George C. Erb, Forest Hills, N. Y., assignor to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 18, 1939, Serial No. 274,437

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to the reenforcement of containers'or cans and has particular reference to an improved structure in the side seam joint of sheet metal can bodies.

An object of the invention is the provision, in a sheet metal can body, of a side seam having portions out along a tessellate line and formed into a series of alternate long and short hookswhich are interfolded to produce a side seam of increased strength for a hermetically sealed -can,.such can resisting high external pressure tending to collapse the body, as in vacuum packed cans, and also which resists high internal pressures that develop in cans used for beer, carbonated or other liquids.

Another object is the provision of a reenforced side seam for metal can bodies the blanks of which are cut from a web. or strip in a single line of severance which separates adjacent body blanks with complementary edges, such a line of out having rectangular notches and rectangu-- lar lugs extending in alternate fashion on opposite edges of the can body blank these lugs being interfolded into lock side seams possessing maximum strength and being pressure resistant. A still further object of the invention is the provision of a reenforced soldered side seam embodying a series of alternate long and short hooks which are interfolded. in the side seam prior to soldering.

.Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection Iwith the accompanying drawing, discloses thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

Figurel is a top plan view of a strip of stock showing how two or more identical can body blanks with complementary edges are out along a tessellate line of severance;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view along the side seam edges of a body blank at an enlarged scale a preferred embodiment and showing the alternate rectangular lugs and foldedand soldered together, the short hook extending from the outer fold; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 66 inFig. 3 and drawn to-the same scale as Figs. 4 and 5 showing the long and short hooks united and soldered together, the long hook extending from the outer fold.

In order to illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 indicates a strip of stock II cut from a larger pieceof material to a width equivalent to the height desired for a can body and of sumcient length to cute. plurality of can body blanks l2. The strip stock ll may be uncoated on one or both sides or printed or lithographed as in decorated cans.

The can body blanks I2 (Fig. 1) are out to the desired length by a transverse cut I3 along a line having rtessellate form and of a complementary arrangement to produce a series of alternate lugs M and a series of notches l5 oppositely disposed on the edges of the same blank.

The edge on one blank therefore is a complement of the opposite edge of an adjoining blank. A

substantial saving in material is hereby realized which would otherwise be wasted where'the blank-s are out from separate pieces of stock large enough to provide for the usual side seam stance the serrated edges of the blank are merely joint,

Each individual body blank l2- upon being severed from the web or strip of stock ll may then be passed through the usual body forming operations. This is conveniently done in anautomatic body making machine.

A notching operation is first performed upon the two ends of the blank. In the present innotched adjacent the sides of the blank and at each end. on one side a portion of the metal is removed by notching the blank near each end of the edge leaving two tongues I! (Fig. 2) the inner edges of which are formed by angular lines l8. On the opposite edge of the blank two notches are cut adjacent each end of the edge leaving a tongue 2i having an inner angular edge 22 and an outer angular edge 23.

The notched blank may then be rolled into cylindrical or body form by rollers, this being a preferred way of making can bodies. This forming of the body places it over a horn the edges being slightly separated. It is moved longitudinally into an edging station where the intermediate section of each edge of the cylindrical body which contains the lugs and notches I5 is bent into opposite directions along lines of bend 24- this forming oppositely disposed long hooks usual manner.

2 25 (Figs. 2 and 4) and short hooks 26. This bending or edging action locates the long and short hook as indicated in Fig, 2. One bent edge of the body is shown to the left in full lines in this figure and the other bent edge is indicated by dotted lines as shown to the right.

The edged but incomple'ted body is then brought'into can, body size by its oppositely. dis-.

posed hooked edges being .interhooked in the In interlocking the hooked edge of the body each tongue I! provides the inner member of the lapped section of the seam being ins de of and against the tongues 2! which form the outer members. After interhooking the seam is bumped in order to close in all interlocked porits attendant advantages will be understood; from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in'the form; construction and arrangement-of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a' preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A reenforced metallic can body'capable of v resisting both high internal and external prestions to produce the side seam shown in Fig. 3.

In this intermediate hooked or locked section of the bumped seam three and four thicknesses of the body wall result when viewed in cross section.

Fig. 5 shows one such cross section and it will be observed that the left half of the seam is .of three .thicknesses. In the right half there is the usual fully booked four thicknesses of scam. The

j. three thickness section is to the left of a short terposing the short hook 25 between the can body I! and the end of the long hook 25. The three thickness section is formed at the right half of the seam by pressing together, during the bumping operation, the body wall region as at'2 9. This pressed region 29 along the hooked seam locks against a stepped portion 3i formed on the long hook 25.

sures, which comprises a can body formed from a metal blank having tessellated edges at its ends,

said edges being bentinto alternateoppositely I disposed long and short hooks interlocked together with a long hook interfolded with a short hook, said hooks being held by solder interposed therebetween. 4

2. A reenforced metallic can body capable of resis ing both high internal andexternal pressures, which comprises a can body-formed'froin" a metal blank having rectangular notches and rectangular lugs alternately arranged along opposed marginal edges one of said edges being complementary to the other edge said marginal edges being bent into alternate oppositely disposed long and short hooks interlocked together with a long. hook interfolded with a complementary short hook, said hooks having solder interposed therebe-tween to form a hermetic. side seam.

3. A reenforced metallic can body capable of resisting both high internal and external pressures,

, which comprises a can body formed from a metal The resulting side seam embodying this alternate locking arrangement, (Figs. 3, 5 and 6) when soldered; is of greatly increased strength. Such an improved joint resists high external pressures which tend to collapse vacuum cans and others that are subjected to vacuumizing and gassing I dining the canning processes. Such a jointalso resists high internal pressures which may develop in a sealed can. The abutment of the end of the long hook within the short hook 26 (Figs. 5

and 6) together with the locking eiiect of the stepped portions 28 and 3| give this double holding result.

The folding of the edges of the blank,; the interlocking .of the long and short hooks and the pressing together of the seam sections, as just described, are all done automatically during the manufacture of the can at various stations in the body maker.

The introduction of the solder (indicated by the numeral 32) is from the outside in the usual The distrifills all the voids of the lock seam'section and short hooks serve as vents and-permit'the hot gases of the soldering operation to escape from the seam interior while the solder is flowing into and closing all of the interstices of joint. This venting produces a better bonded soldered seam.

blank having rectangular notches and rectangular lugs alternately arranged along opposed marginal edges, said marginal edges being bent in opposite directions to'form oppositely disposed long and short'hooks, a long hook being interlocked with a short hook, said hooks forming a plurality of interengaging oppositely disposed holding elements, a part of each long hook on one side of the. seam being pressed togetherto form a stepped shoulder having abutted engagement against its interlocked short hook, all interhooked parts being held together by solder in a hermetic joint.

4. A reenforced can body capable of resisting both high internal and external pressures, which cornprises a can body having a soldered side seam, opposed marginal edges of the bodywithin the seam region constituting oppositely disposed alternated long and short-hooks, a long hook being interlocked with a short hook, said interlocked hooks forming a. plurality of interengaging hold- I ing elements arranged inside of the canbody, a

.. part of each long hook on the inside of the seam fills'in between the end laps at the engaged parts I1 and Z l The spaces between adjacent longand long and abutt'ed short hooks providing alternate three thickness and four thickness sections extending longitudinally of the side scam, the interhooked parts being held together by solder in a-hermetie joint. I f

GEORGE C. ERB.

It is thought that the invention and many of 

